France seeks handle on Facebook algorithms to help combat hate speech

French authorities should have more access to Facebook’s algorithms and greater scope to audit the social media company’s internal policies against hate speech, a report commissioned by President Emmanuel Macron has concluded.

It comes after Facebook has been heavily criticised by politicians and the public for its failure to more rapidly remove footage of the March shooting attack in Christchurch, New Zealand from its network. Fifty people were killed in the assault, with footage of it circulating online for days.

The French president, who will meet Facebook founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg later on Friday, wants France to take a leading